Receta OVEN BAKED BIRINGANYA MASALA

by Anita Mary Amalor

OVEN BAKED BIRINGANYA MASALA Kenya has plenty of biringanya and I enjoy it to the most. I almost have brinjals in my meal everyday. Kenyans enjoy it by adding it both to the vegetable and meat stews to go with rice dishes. This is a very simple dish which can be prepared with basic spices and the veggies we easily get  in Kenya. Its a pocket friendly dish too.....when I make this dish everytime it reminds me of my childhood when I grew up enjoying the goodness of brinjals available straight from the farmers. I still remember the panicking moments I had when I use to chop the brinjal to help my mom  and find a crawly friend peeping out. Its a great proof that it was organic. The village I grew up had goat rearing as the major source of income and the farmers use to collect the excreta of the goat to be added as manure. The variety of brinjal I had in my home town use to be short and spherical unlike the usual biringanya we enjoy in Kenya. Try this simple, health friendly dish and remember to enjoy it with steaming rice during this cold weather. Ingredients: Brinjal- 250 gms Onion- 1 medium size chopped  Tomatoes- 3 medium sized( chopped to cubes) Ginger- Garlic Paste Oil- 2 tbspn Salt to taste Spice Paste- Turmeric powder- 1 tspn                                 Chilly Powder- 1 tspn                      Water- 2 tbspn                      Salt to taste Cilantro- to garnish                        Method: 1. Wash the brinjal and remove the stems. Make a cross slit in each brinjal without breaking the slit lobes.   2. Mix the spices with water and make a smooth paste. Apply the paste uniformly inside the cut brinjal. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes.                                                           3. After 15 minutes heat the oil pan and add the oil. At the same time preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste followed by chopped onions in the oil and allow it to turn golden brown. 4. Place the brinjals on top of the onion followed by chopped tomatoes. 5. Sprinkle salt and mix the tomatoes gently along with the brinjal. 6. Remove the pan from fire and place it in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. (If you are not using an oven proof pan transfer the contents to a baking dish) 7. Once done garnish with cilantro and enjoy with steamed rice.